


pretend you love me

by buckfxckbarnes



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, Gay Daryl Dixon, M/M, Trans Character, Trans Daryl Dixon, Trans Male Daryl Dixon, daaron, everyone thinks daryls cishet except aaron, idk i cant tag
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:34:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25157827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckfxckbarnes/pseuds/buckfxckbarnes
Summary: the apocalypse wasn't much different from daryl's life before the turn. he still had to survive day to day on the little he has. he still has to be careful with who he trusts, still has to watch his back.there were even still people invested in his love life.
Relationships: Aaron/Daryl Dixon
Comments: 3
Kudos: 27





	1. what if we fake dated?

the apocalypse wasn't much different from daryl's life before the turn. he still had to survive day to day on the little he has. he still has to be careful with who he trusts, still has to watch his back. 

there were even still people invested in his love life.

"carol, i've told ya. 'm not inta anyone." daryl was just trying to get his work for the day done. 

carol followed him as he walked away. "but come on! she's so nice." 

"ain't interested." he put the crate he was carrying down. "can i get back ta work now?" he turned to her. he knew her intentions were good and that her heart was in the right place, but he wasn't feeling a relationship right now. he had a lot on his plate with the whisperers and rick still being gone.

"okay." it was a short reply as she looked away. daryl touched her shoulder. he didn't mean to upset her. 

"talk later?" she nodded and left. daryl sighed. 

at the end of the day, daryl walked over to aaron's house. he knocked quietly, not knowing if gracie was sleeping or not. aaron cam eto the door with the sleeping toddler in his arm. he made a light _shh_ noise, but gestured for daryl to come in with a nod of his head. daryl sat on the couch while aaron went to put gracie down for the night. he came back down a few moments later and plopped on the couch next to daryl with a tired sigh. daryl looked at him. the dad's eyes were closed and he was basically melting into the couch. 

"long day?" daryl asked. 

aaron rubbed his face with his hand. "the longest." 

"feel ya." daryl laughed. "carol's on my ass again 'bout findin' someone to settle down with." 

aaron opened his eyes with a chuckle. "again?" has she at least realized you prefer dudes yet?" 

daryl waved his hand dismissively. "nah. yer the only one that knows that." 

aaron's lips quirked up for a moment. "she still trying to set you up with that red head? what's her name?" 

"charlotte." daryl breathed. "don't get me wrong, she's pretty an' all, but-"

"she's not a dude." aaron nodded. "do," he thought about how to approach this question. "do they know about the other thing?" 

daryl scratched the back of his neck. "only, uh, rick and glenn knew. rick's a dumbass and walked in on me changin' without knocking." he paused. it still kind of hurt to talk about rick, even nearly seven years later. "and glenn. well. he used to do all our runs, and like the curious little fuck he was, he asked me about the need for testosterone vials and needles one day." he laughed. "kid just hugged me. still have a few vials he found when he raided a hospital for them. said if they're important and i need 'em, then nothin' was gonna stop him from gettin' them for me." aaron gave a sad smile. he knew how much daryl cared for glenn. 

they sat quietly for a few moments. then, a lightbulb flashed above aaron's head. "i have a bad idea." daryl turned to him. "and it'll get carol off yur back." he sat up and pulled a knee onto the couch to turn and face daryl. daryl copied. 

"what if we fake dated?"


	2. guess we’re really best friends now, huh?

“yer insane.” but daryl was laughing at the suggestion. 

“no, really.” aaron hit his shoulder. “what if we did? it’d make your life easier.”

daryl looked at him. “what’s in it fer you though?”

the taller man paused. “you... have to help me with gracie.” he nodded, liking his excuse. daryl started to oppose. “come on, you’re great with her. and she  loves you.”

he clicked his tongue. “aight. fine. i’m in.” 

aaron grinned wildly. “great. we gotta come up with some terms.”

“terms?”

“yeah, like. the rules and stuff.”

“‘kay.” daryl was getting hesitant. aaron pulled out a notepad and two pens. 

“lets get going.”

~~~~

“movie nights?”

“yes! gracie loves going to them. you gotta come with us.”

daryl shrugged. “i dunno, man. they’re not really my thing.” aaron gave him a look. “aight. but i’m not doing it for you. i’m doin it for the kid.” aaron smiled. “but that means  you have to come on hunts with me every now and then.”

aaron really wasn’t opposed. at all. but he wouldn’t tell daryl that. “fine.” 

they wrote out a page worth of rules and guidelines for their fake relationship. by the time they were done, daryl’s watch read 1:34 am. “i should go.” he stood up to leave. 

“dude. it’s 1:30 in the morning. just stay here.” aaron offered. “plus, we’re ‘dating’ anyway.” he used air quotes around ‘dating.’ daryl considered for a moment. 

“okay.”

aaron gave a reassuring smile. 

they climbed up the stairs, daryl behind aaron and walked into the latter’s room. they paused. “uh. you can sleep in the other room if you’d like. i don’t wanna make you uncomfortable or anything.” aaron suggested. 

“nah, it’s cool. gonna be doin’ this more anyway, right?” 

“right.” aaron blushed. 

daryl took off his vest and placed it on the chair in the corner. aaron discarded his jeans in place of a pair of worn shorts. he grabbed another pair from his dresser and turned to daryl. “you want a pair?” 

daryl usually just slept in his jeans, but he found himself accepting the shorts. 

he turned away from aaron and stripped himself of his jeans. the shorts were comfortable, soft. 

aaron didn’t watch daryl change. he wanted to, but he’s not like that. he focused his eyes on a crack in the ceiling instead. 

when he felt the bed dip he turned back to daryl. they both sat in the bed, neither laying down just yet. 

“aar?” aaron turned to him. 

“yeah?” daryl met his eyes. 

“you think-“ he paused, moving his gaze to his hands in his lap. “never mind. ‘s stupid.” 

aaron put a hand on his shoulder. “what’s up?”

daryl laughed lightly. “ya think we should practice?” aaron’s lip quirked. 

“practice what?” 

“y’know. like. kissin’ ‘n stuff. ‘m not really tired, ‘n you don’t seem to be either, so i figured...” he trailed off. 

“sure, dar. if that’s what you wanna do.” 

“yeah, i mean. ‘m not used to it. ‘n i don’t wanna seem surprised or nothin’ when it happens for the first time in public.” aaron nodded. 

“okay.” 

aaron was sitting with his legs crossed on the bed, and daryl brought his legs up to copy. the taller man’s heartbeat was in his ears. daryl wrung his hands. aaron could tell he was tense. he put a hand on the hunter’s knee. they locked eyes. 

“hey. it’s okay.” daryl’s eyes searched his. “i mean, are we really best friends if we’ve never kissed before?” aaron grinned. that made daryl laugh, all the tension leaving his shoulders. 

“aight. let’s do this.” he smiled. 

daryl brought his hand up to aaron’s face as he moved forward slightly. aaron’s hand came up to daryl’s face in return. 

aaron could feel daryl’s breath on his lips now, and he really couldn’t wait any longer. he pressed their lips together, softly, slowly. there was no rush, no urgency. just two friends learning each other in a different way. 

when they separated, they looked at each other. 

“guess we’re really best friends now, huh?” 

aaron couldn’t help the loud laughter that escaped his chest. 


	3. shall we?

the sun rose too quickly for daryl’s liking. he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous. anxiety was ebbing away at his stomach. 

he was laying flat on his back on the left side of aaron’s bed. aaron was still asleep on his side facing away from daryl. daryl stared at the back of his head. when the other man started shifting, waking up, daryl pulled his eyes to focus on the ceiling. 

aaron rolled onto his back, tilting his head to look at daryl for a moment. 

“mornin’.” daryl grunted out. 

“hey.” silence lapsed between them. “you ready for today?” 

“mhm. you?” 

“yeah.” 

“cool.” 

a moment passed. the awkwardness was palpable and unbreaking. daryl went to speak, when crying broke out, signifying gracie was awake. “i should go-”

“yeah.” aaron got up and left the room quickly. daryl let out a long sigh. he decided to get up and pull his jeans back on while aaron took care of his daughter. daryl decided last second to steal one of aaron’s short sleeve shirts to put on. 

when aaron came back to his room with gracie, daryl was sitting on the bed. daryl didn’t miss when the taller man took a moment to process the shirt. “would you mind taking her downstairs and giving her breakfast while i get dressed?” 

“sure.” he stood, taking the infant from the other man. he gave one last look to aaron before leaving the room. 

aaron came down in the middle of gracie’s meal. he had a long sleeve shirt on that went over his prosthetic. “hey.” daryl greeted. aaron looked at him for a moment.

“is that my shirt?” daryl looked away. 

“uh, yeah. didn’t think ya’d mind.” 

“oh, no i don’t.” he reassured the hunter. “just… wasn’t expecting it is all.” 

“okay.” he lifted the spoon up to gracie’s mouth. aaron walked over and placed a gentle kiss to the top of gracie’s head before moving to prepare himself and daryl breakfast.

“pancakes?” daryl huffed out an agreement. “good, ‘cause it’s all i have.” he laughed. 

breakfast went smoothly. there wasn’t any awkward tension or elongated silences. when they finished eating and everything was washed and put away, the anxiety came bubbling back into daryl’s stomach. they were at the door, gracie on daryl’s right hip. she was playing with his hair, and it was calming him down. aaron looked at the side of daryl’s face. he opened the door and they stepped out onto the porch. aaron held his right hand out between him and daryl. “ready?” daryl just grabbed his hand. 

it was still early, so there weren’t too many people mulling around yet. gracie was with the few older women that volunteer to watch the kids. the few that were awake gave side glances at the pair but continued on their way. daryl’s hand started shaking slightly in aaron’s. aaron glanced at him, then slowly brought the back of his hand up to his lips. 

“we’re okay.” daryl nodded shortly. 

then, carol walked out of the pantry right in front of them, nearly running into daryl. 

“oh, daryl. hi-” she froze when she noticed their connected hands. she looked back up at daryl, who was blushing like crazy. aaron had a light smile on his face. “can i talk to you?” 

daryl looked at aaron, who quirked his lips. daryl nodded at carol. they walked into the empty pantry, carol closed the door behind them. 

when daryl turned around to her, he was met with a light slap to his bicep. “you and aaron? why didn’t you tell me?!”

“uh, me and aaron are together?” 

“yeah, i see that.” she had a playful smirk on her face. “you could’ve told me that you… like guys. i would’ve stopped trying to set you up with charlotte.” 

daryl shrugged. “didn’t seem important. i honestly didn’t think i’d even get with anyone ever, so-” he rubbed the back of his neck. 

“well you did.” she replied. “i’m glad it’s aaron. he’s a good one. cute, too.” 

“yeah, really cute.” daryl found himself agreeing. he’d acknowledged how attractive aaron is, but he knows he’d never have an  _ actual  _ chance with him, so he pushed anything he felt aside. 

“well, uh. we got some stuff ta do. imma get back to my guy.” it felt weird saying that, but it was a really good weird. the weird that brings a swarm of butterflies to your stomach and makes you feel warm all over. daryl pushed it away again, ignoring it. it didn’t mean anything. 

he gave carol one last smile before walking back outside to his fake boyfriend. he grabbed aaron’s hand. 

“she’s watching us, isn’t she?” aaron whispered. 

“yep.” daryl popped the ‘p.’ then, he leaned forward, pressing a soft peck to the taller man’s cheek. it ignited a flame in aaron’s chest where his heart should be and his cheek tingled where the contact happened. 

“shall we?” 

aaron wrapped his arm around dary’s waist with a nod, and they were on their way. 


	4. a pink dinosaur?

aaron honestly never thought he’d be able to hold daryl dixon’s hand. or kiss him. but here he is, doing  _ both _ out in  _ public. _ no matter how hard he willed them away, the butterflies wouldn’t leave his stomach. it was like the swarm had made it their new home. 

daryl’s hands were surprisingly soft. aaron had figured they’d be rough and calloused from all his work as a hunter and a bowman, but they were smooth. there were a few callouses, but they were overall smooth. 

their first day as a “couple” wasn’t as exciting as they’d hoped. people gave them looks, but more so out of surprise and shock than anything else. some people, shockingly, even came up and told the pair they were finally happy to see them together. they’d just laughed and blushed, thanked the person. around 5:30, aaron dragged daryl with him to go pick up gracie. it was almost time for movie night and aaron liked to have her in her pajamas because she always fell asleep. “come on, love.” he held his hand out for daryl to take. his heart stammered at the pet name he’d used, regretting it for a second, before seeing daryl smile lightly and feeling him grab his hand. their fingers intertwined, hands swaying slightly between them. aaron really could get used to this feeling. 

but, aaron doesn’t wanna fall deeper. this isn’t real. daryl doesn’t actually like him. this is just to get carol off his back for a while. this brought aaron’s mood down significantly, but he didn’t let it show. he was good at hiding how he really felt when it came to daryl, and he wasn’t sure why or if he liked it or not. 

aaron just smiled through the pain in his chest. 

“come on, love.” a hand was extended out toward him. daryl looked at it for a second. he got a fuzzy feeling in his chest at aaron calling him that, but he elected to ignore it. he smiled, taking aaron’s flesh hand in his own and locking their fingers.

he wasn’t sure how he could tell, but he felt a slight shift in the atmosphere around aaron. his mood changed drastically in a matter of moments. daryl glanced sideways at the other man. there was a smile on his best friend’s face, but daryl could tell it was forced. there were no wrinkles meeting his eyes like they do when he usually smiles, or that glow he gets when he’s genuinely happy. it was all just… missing. daryl fully turned to look at him, his eyes widening with concern slightly. aaron just glanced to him and quirked his lip. daryl squeezed his hand reassuringly. he’d hoped he didn’t do anything to upset him or make him uncomfortable. that’t the last thing he’d want to do. 

they arrived at the house to pick up gracie, and the toddler came running out to greet the pair. “daddy! daryl!” aaron crouched down to hug his daughter. daryl’s heart swelled at seeing the two embrace, but his hand felt cold where it lost its hold on aaron’s. 

“how was your day, sweetheart?” 

“it was good! they found some old coloring books and i colored this cool dinosaur and he was pink.” 

“a pink dinosaur?” daryl pipes up behind them. gracie looked up at him and nodded enthusiastically. “now i have ta see this.” he matches her excitement. she beamed, grabbing the hunter’s hand and pulling him towards the house. he glanced back at aaron, seeing that glowing smile that reaches his eyes that he was missing earlier. when he looked forward again, maybe he had a glowing smile that reached his eyes too. 

  
  



End file.
